lying bull statue (rubbed for healing)
A statue of a reclining bull, traditionally rubbed on the corresponding body part to ease ailments; associated with folk belief and often found at temples or shrines.
There was a lying bull statue in the shrine grounds, and visitors were rubbing the part corresponding to their own ailment.
Standard spelling for the statue; the 撫で (stroking) component is explicit.
Variant spelling without okurigana; less common but still encountered.
Compound of 撫で (nade, 'stroking') and 牛 (ushi, 'bull/cow'), referring to the practice of rubbing the statue for healing.